The Puzzle of Us
by Larkwings
Summary: He's a scholarly gent, puzzled by heartache and a mid-life crisis. She's a no-nonsense reporter, unraveling her existential dilemma. And against all odds, they may together rediscover themselves. Reunion: It was an ordinary day until she walked into the room.
1. Hershel

_He's a scholarly gent, puzzled by heartache and a mid-life crisis_

 **Hershel**

He's sitting at the rosewood desk, puzzle in hand

A distraction to his ever wandering mind

With the top hat sat by the window sill

Overlooking the months of gray.

His heart is heavy

Yet with his head raised high

He walks down the way

A seemingly happy man.

He does not dwell on the feeling

Or many feelings

The gentleman with dire priorities need not wallow in selfish feelings.

Sometimes it's easier to just forget.


	2. Emmy

_She's a no-nonsense reporter, unraveling her existential dilemma._

 **Emmy**

She's standing on the edge of oblivion

And oblivion overlooks the sea.

A sea of people, of truths

Of deceit

A sea of ambiguous things.

She thrives in obscurity

Havens beautiful to only the keen eye

Places no one would go

No one but the lone wanderer.

And she is alone.

Alone to contemplate the sea inside her being

With untamed waves and ill-predicted storms.

She closes her eyes

For a wonderful moment there is calm.

Remembering is the hardest part of all.


	3. Together

_And against all odds…_

 _(as he is uncertain where his future lay, and she is troubled by her past)_

 **Together**

Timeline: The not so far off future

Location: Layton's office, Gressenheller University

Where on earth did he put them?

Hershel scratches his head and flips through the papers once more. He really should keep his desk more organized. There's a lecture due in ten minutes and he's misplaced his notes….

"Looking for these?"

Emmy waltzes in waving the cards about. "I took them home last night for a final revision."

He sighs, "Ah, what would I do without you, my dear."

"Probably bore those poor souls on one of your puzzle tangents," she slips the cards in his pocket, fixes his hair, straightens his tie.

"And we're having dinner with my parents tonight."

"Yes. Will your lecture run late?"

"I don't think so, but pick up Flora after school just in case. I'll meet you both there if things are later."

"You better not show up just for dessert again."

Hershel smiles, looks at the clock. "I best get going, lecture starts in five."

Emmy ushers him out the door, "Go get 'em tiger."

He walks down the hall at a steady pace, hoping his students haven't grown bored and left by the time he gets there. He's barely turning the corner when she calls for him frantically.

"Hershel wait, there's something important I need to tell you!"

She races down the hall, and his mind goes into panic. Was it his notes? Did she find some terrible error and forgot to correct it?

She wears a rather serious face.

"I love you."

Her features melt into a grin and she pecks him on the lips.

He shakes his head and sighs. "I love you too."

 _…they may together rediscover themselves._

 **(A Note from the Author)**

Hello lovelies! I apologize for dropping off the face of the planet the past few months, but between senior year, extra-curricular activities and health scares, I've been rather busy. I've had bits and pieces of this story started for well over a year now, and I just never thought it'd take me so long to publish it. It's going to be different than A _nomalous Entity_ , short snippets with a jumping timeline, and a sort of background plot? Maybe? This is more about character interaction between my two favourites and OTP to end all OTPs. Honestly an excuse to write fluff, or sad fics or something funny, whatever I'm in the mood for. I can't promise regular updates, if I had all the time in the world and my muse was in a good way, I'd update this thing every day. Unfortunately it's not a perfect world, but with shorter chapters it should be easier for me to squeeze them out when life's busy, so shall we go with once a week for now? And if you get more than that, we'll call it a good week :)

Miss Zillabean! I was waiting for the perfect date to publish this and totally meant to release it on your birthday. But as we've already learned I'm terrible with keeping track of time, so it's a week late, but I hope you had a wonderful day and enjoy this story

Lastly, as mentioned before. This is a jumping timeline. What you just read was a glimpse of things to come. But our story begins in the present, 18 months after the events of _Unwound Future_...


	4. Alone

_"_ _Given enough time, you could convince yourself that loneliness was something better, that it was solitude, the ideal condition for reflection, even a kind of freedom."_

~Dean Koontz

* * *

 **Alone**

Timeline: Present

Location: Layton's office, Gressenheller University

Hershel is lonely.

His realization of it, his sad reality, comes out of the blue as he's combing through the latest archeological journals, a reward for finishing three hours of grading. It's undeniable, his unwavering attraction to solitude, because he knows he really should be home.

But something keeps him from his flat, and dwindling the hours away at work seems easier. So when the other members of Gressenheller's staff had long gone, Hershel found himself locked away in his office, a cup of tea in hand, and a friendly melody playing for background ambience. Eventually Flora would stop by and convince him to come home, or he'd tell her to wait another five minutes, which would turned into hours, and more often than not Flora would fall asleep on the sofa while Hershel worked into the night.

He wishes she would come right now, snap him out of his daze of sad feelings. But Flora is a creature of habit, she will wait another hour at least before showing up at his office door, a brown bagged cucumber sandwich in hand.

He supposes his loneliness is the result of a lifetime spent doing good for others, making friends wherever he goes, but one way or another it always ends with a goodbye. Hershel can argue that goodbyes are inevitable; people are busy, life has to move on.

He's said enough goodbyes for several lifetimes.

Mostly, it was a result of Luke moving to America. For the better part of three years, the boy had been his self-acclaimed apprentice, determined to be tutored in the art of puzzle solving, and the gentleman code. Luke still has a ways to go before becoming the adult he aspires to be, but the boy is young and impressionable, and his innocence and curiosity warm Hershel's heart. He enjoys the boy's company, and he finds himself often thinking of how he misses Luke, leading to thoughts of all the other people he longs for.

With Luke's departure Hershel also lost Clark, a good friend since college. The two had reconnected in the past year with the Tritons moving back to London. Then there are Randall and Angela, busy sorting matters in Monte d'Or, and starting a family. Hershel wishes not to bother them. He gets the occasional letter or photograph of the new baby's room, or Randall hugging Angela and her swollen belly. He has Flora, and although he adores the sweet girl with all his heart, Hershel feels something is missing. He's never really known what to say to her, or how to answer the many questions of an adolescent girl. And because he's never had an answer, eventually Flora stopped asking. Dinner at his Ma and Pa's is once a week, and he visits the prison on occasion, but something has to be said of a man whose entire social life consists of his parents and atoning criminals.

Rosa Grimes, the custodian at Gressenheller, advised he start dating. "A man such as yourself would have no problem on today's market", she said with confidence. "A young lass would snatch you up right away." Only Hershel doesn't see himself as young anymore, he's approaching forty after all, and although one is never too old to find love, he's never really had to urge to pursue that sort of relationship again.

This brings him full circle to Claire: the source of his lonely heartache for so many years. It had been a little over a year since he'd said goodbye to her, for the second time. All those feelings, buried inside him for years resurfaced all at once, and as painful as it was to go through it all again, the experience brought him a peace of mind. He can think freely of Claire, without threat of his barriers breaking down. He still misses her dearly, he would always love her, but now thoughts of her were just a little less sad.

And it is on days such as this, when he sits in his office in the early hours of the evening, between papers and puzzles, when he thinks most often of Claire, that Hershel is lonely.


	5. Friendship

**Friendship**

Timeline: Shortly after _Last Specter_

Location: The Garden, Gressenheller University

Luke trots ahead, a boy clad in blue. His demeanor is quite the opposite.

Since discovering the Golden Garden and restoring peace to the tiny village of Misthallery, Luke's air has taken an upward swing. It is hard to imagine how the now curious boy, searching for insects among the bushels of raspberries, was sulking and closed-off but a few weeks prior.

"I appreciate you taking him under your wing, Hershel. He really looks up to you." Those were Clark's exact words, when Layton had accepted to look after the boy. Both he and Brenda would be traveling for field work in the coming months, and given the recent drama, and Luke's immediate taking to Hershel, Clark proposed that staying with his old friend would be a great learning experience for his son.

Hershel did have to admit it would be nice to have the boy's company.

A woman in yellow chases after Luke. Emmy Altava, Hershel's new assistant. He'd never been one for assistants, but she'd proved herself more than valuable in solving Misthallery's secrets. Her relentless enthusiasm is refreshing in a building full of tired old professors.

"Professor, hurry! Come see this butterfly," Luke waves him over.

"It's so pretty," says Emmy. She leans in for a better look, and it flutters off, settling on Hershel's top hat.

He glances up at the black speckled wings, trying his best not to move. "A fine specimen indeed."

The threesome stand and observe the butterfly in silence. A few heartbeats pass before in flies to the horizon.

"We're friends now aren't we?" says Luke.

"Of course, we are," Emmy bends down and ruffles his hair. "The good old Professor, the best assistant in the world and the second assistant, leave no puzzle unsolved!"

The two wrestle back and forth like a couple of school boys. Well, to be fair, Luke is a school boy, just with the mindset of someone twice his age. And Emmy…well, from his short time knowing her, she's a child at heart.

This is the start of something grand. Hershel feels it in his gut. Something he has confidence will last.


	6. Bonds

**Author's** **Note:** I apologize for the lack of updates. I've been traveling and internet access was super limited

* * *

 **Bonds**

Timeline: Present

Location: Mr. and Mrs. Layton's house

Diner was a quiet event. Lucille made a sheperd's pie. While Hershel helped his mother clean up Roland sat with Flora in the living room. She was trying to show him how to work her new laptop, a task that had baffled Hershel himself.

"Oh no, Mr. Layton, you want to click here to open a new tab," she takes his hand to redirect him.

Roland laughs, "You'd think that doing a puzzle a day would keep this old mind sharp, but nope. A new shiny gadget got the best of Roland Layton."

Hershel smiles, "That would make both of us Pa."

"Times are changing I suppose," Roland hands the laptop back to Flora and clears his throat. "Do you have any plans for these developing times?"

"Not for the moment."

"Well, I'll be off to university next year," says Flora.

"That's fantastic," says Roland. "Have you thought of a program, dear?"

"I'm still looking, but I think a business degree…maybe."

"Well, there's no rush, I'm sure Hershel has told you that many times. But isn't it great to have an idea? And who knows where it will take you? Why, I remember Hershel originally went with the intention of being a lawyer! Could you imagine that…."

Flora listens eagerly, shuffle closer to the man who might as well be her grandfather. Roland has such an easy time engaging her. Hershel is filled with warmth at the sight. Lucille walks in and stands beside her son.

"He was always great with children," she sighs.

"Yes, he is." Luke adored Roland as well. But Flora…there were times she seemed more relaxed with his father than Hershel himself.

"What's his secret?"

Lucille shakes her head and leans into her son's ear. "Talk with her Hershel. Listen to her and for goodness sake's trust the girl. She's nearly an adult."

This was true. Flora would be eighteen next year. She would be moving onto the next stage of her life.

As exciting as it should have been, Hershel only felt unsettled by the prospect.

/-/-/

If diner had taken place in a quiet serenity of light conversation and laughs, the car ride home was dead silent. Flora's chattiness had all but ceased the moment they'd pulled out the drive way.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Flora nods, "Everything's fine, Professor."

"Ahh, good."

They pass a couple blocks before Flora speaks up. "Are you alright?"

"Of course."

"Well…okay."

He slows to a stop. The Laytonmobile's motor sputters, waiting for the light to change. "You don't seem convinced."

"You just seem a little sad sometimes. Ever since Luke left…since the whole incident with Claire."

The light turns green. They sit for a moment before going through.

"I'm alright though, Flora, there's no need to worry."

She nods.

"I love you."

He smiles. "I love you too, my dear."


	7. Birthdays

**Birthdays**

Timeline: Shortly after _Unwound Future_

Location: Layton's Flat

Today is his 38th year.

Perhaps it isn't such a great feat for some, but he's seen far too many pass before their times. He's grateful to be here.

He and Flora go out to eat. Thankfully she suggests it over making him breakfast in bed. Though kind in thought, it would have been a dreadful last meal.

She gives him a homemade card as thanks for all he's done in the few months they've known each other.

It's off to work. His colleagues wish him a good day. Rosa brings cupcakes and even a few students surprise him with cards or puzzles. (Rosetta Stone gives him a love poem, and although he is impressed with her use of iambic pentameter, he slips it under a pile of papers where it will hopefully not be forgotten.)

Diner is held at his parents. Lucille prepares his favourite lemon meringue pie for dessert. Roland gives him a pat on the back and another of his famous 'Birthday Puzzles'. Chemley and Barton slip in for a slice of pie, while Hershel flips through the cards he received in the post.

Birthday wishes from Angela, Randall and Henry. An anonymous note, he knows to be from his brother. A postcard from Janice. A package that contains a photo album from Luke and his family.

He's a well-loved man. And he knows it.

Yet, when he settles into bed that night, pondering his wonderful yet rather ordinary day, Hershel can't help but feel that something is missing.


	8. Photographs

**Photographs**

Timeline: 3 months after Azran Legacy

Location: Somewhere along the Cote d'Azur, France

She looks out toward the setting ocean sky. There is a splash of yellow warmth, the sun's last hurrah before fading into the deepening blue.

It makes for a beautiful photo.

Out here the air is fresh. Each day is new. She's free, to do whatever she wants, wherever she wants. There are no ties. She belongs to no one. Her sole worry is missing out on the perfect sunset.

And as she doesn't want for much, she only needs to take a few stunning pictures for the World Times and investigate the odd case from time to time as a freelance reporter.

It's a good existence, and for the time being, Emmy is content.


	9. Titles

**Titles**

Timeline: 18 years before Unwound Future

Location: Targent HQ, The Nest

"Come, Emmeline."

She takes her eyes off the sky to look back to him, sees the tone of serious air he procures, and dashes to catch up.

"Sorry, Uncle Leon."

"What on Earth were you doing?"

"Cloud watching, Uncle Leon."

"Was that being productive to our cause?"

"No, Uncle Leon."

"I've told you many times," says Bronev in that stern tone of his, "you must address me as Commander."

"But you're more like an uncle," says Emmy. He doesn't understand where this "Uncle Leon" notion had come from (he has certainly never suggested it), but the girl is insistent she call him nothing else.

"You do not understand. I am your guardian, yes, but also a superior officer. You must refer to me as Commander Bronev so as not to show favouritism."

"But I like you better than the others," she says bluntly. "Sometimes you're actually nice".

"I am kind to you," he says, a little miffed with her nerve . "As much as I can be. Targent is our family after all. We need to be fair."

"If you really cared, you'd call me Emmy."

"Emmy is a child's name," Bronev points out, "You are a young woman, and should be addressed as such."

"I'm only ten," she retorts.

"Your parents gave you that name," says Bronev, "who am I to call you otherwise?"

That shut the girl up. The mention of parents always seems to strike a chord.

But she proves to be more resilient than he credits her for. "You can call me Emmy, because I say so."

"I would be showing favouritism toward you."

"And you don't want that."

"Yes."

"Because it's only fair to the others."

"Yes, Emmeline."

The girl's eyes light up suddenly, "Then in all fairness, I can call you Uncle."

"What?"

"If you keep calling me Emmeline, then I get to call you Uncle."

Bronev sighs, "Very well, Emmeline."


	10. Reunion

**Reunion**

Timeline: Present

Location: Scotland Yard

Not a soul is in Scotland Yard today. It is eerily quiet, save the background chatter of the morning news –the ten o'clock edition— and the tippity-tap of fingers on keyboard tiles. Hershel sits in the waiting chair. The officer should return with Chemley's inquiry soon.

He is expecting another simple case. A minute detail missed by a rookie is all it takes to blow an investigation nowhere. So Scotland Yard begrudgingly calls in Hershel Layton, a man with answers.

Though, he is simply an observant fellow.

What Hershel is not expecting is for _her_ to accompany the officer.

"What do you mean Inspector Grosky isn't available at the moment? I must speak with him."

"I'm sorry, m'am, but _Detective_ Inspector Grosky is away for a meeting. He isn't expected back until later next week."

What is she doing here? Hershel leans forward believing his eyes to deceive him. No, it's definitely her. She looks mostly the same, perhaps her hair is a tad shorter than last he saw her, and she's definitely sporting a golden tan. But it's her all right.

"Professor Layton?" She spots him, her face pulling into a sweet smile after its initial look of surprise.

"Emmy, I had no idea you were back in London." His stomach tightens. "It's been so long. I haven't heard from you in a while."

A while meaning over two years. He likes to think they simply grew apart over distance and time. In reality, they wrote once or twice and then she simply stopped replying. She disappeared and that was that.

"I won't be here long," she says, eyes darting to the floor then back up. "The World Times has me on a tight schedule. You know how work can be."

"Yes," he nods, still shocked to see her. "You've been well I hope?"

"Never better," she grins a little too forcibly. "What about you, how have the infamous professor and his number one apprentice been doing?"

"I'm well, and Luke moved to America a few months ago. Clark was offered a contract for a year abroad."

"Oh, I see," she turns nervously, "he's adjusting well I hope."

"It's taking some time. He misses his friends."

"I'm sure he does." Emmy brushes a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "well, it was nice seeing you."

"You as well."

"I best be on my way," she says.

"Okay," says Hershel, "But, if you have a moment, we could meet for a cup of tea perhaps?"

"I'll keep the offer in mind, but these are busy times," she's leaning toward the door. "And I hear you're helping Chemley with a case, so I wouldn't want to be a bother."

With that she's off. Walking out of his life as suddenly as she'd stumbled back into it.

The officer clears his throat, ignorant or untouched by the awkward exchange, and hands Hershel a stack of papers. "Professor Layton, if you could take a look at this report here. There seems to be a connection between the recent loss of stock of a certain cabbage vendor and the growing population of rabbits. Yet he claims it is the fault of a vagabond gang of school age children, pulling mischief on the streets. I'll give you some time to ponder, and you tell us what you think."

Hershel nods and peels through the report. He tries to concentrate on the issue of disappearing cabbages, but his mind keeps wandering to the doors of Scotland Yard.


End file.
